Around the world, natural resources are running out. Veolia uses waste to produce new resources and contribute to a circular economy.

In a conventional economy, everything is linear, from cradle to grave: extraction, production and disposal.In the circular economy, consumption patterns are designed to mirror the cyclical approach of natural ecosystems.
Once used, all goods provide by-products that can be reused in other manufacturing processes, creating a virtuous cycle more in tune with the environment.

Examples of solutions we can use- Veolia recycles televisions and cell phones in Angers, France
Instead of being tossed in the garbage, these consumer goods are disassembled and used to provide new resources, such as high-quality polymers (plastics) suitable for use as secondary raw materials to create new products, like these bathroom scales made by a leading French manufacturer of household appliances.

- Rostock recycles 1 billion plastic bottles every year
Every year, 200 billion plastic bottles are made worldwide for juice, soda, household cleaning products and a whole range of other uses. Veolia’s treatment and recycling facility in port of Rostock, northern Germany, recycles 1 billion plastic bottles a year.
That is the equivalent of saving 31,000 litres of crude oil.

- Veolia has constructed the largest sludge treatment plant in the world in Hong Kong
This new plant is the largest treatment sludge incineration unit in the world, thanks to its installed capacity, with 2,000 tons treated each day by 110 members of personnel. The treatment and incineration technology used reduces waste by 90%, while protecting the natural environment and eliminating sea discharges. Heat and power are generated in sludge treatment, and used for the three spa pools located right next to the plant, and supply 4,000 households. A seawater desalination unit is used to cover site water requirements and 1,000 trees have been planted as part of a carbon compensation programme.

How do we develop the circular economy in India?
With over 1,3 billion people and a GDP growth of 7% per year, India faces new challenges in terms of resources and energy consumption. It has become a necessity to control GHG emissions, waste generation and pollution, erosion of natural capital… That is why we think that the circular economy model is an opportunity for India to be able to reach a long-term prosperity economy.

In India, Veolia especially provides solutions for the optimal collection and treatment of water and wastewater, as well as the minimization of wastewater discharge in the ecosystem.
We emphasize on strategic avenues for replenishing resources. Here is one of our main projects, in Nilothi, Delhi:

​Value wastewater
Our sewage treatment technologies help municipalities to further integrate a circular economy. In Delhi, the Nilothi sewage treatment plant built and operated by Veolia has the capacity to treat 91 million liters of wastewater per day. While the plant participates to the protection of the environment by preventing the discharge of non-treated wastewater, our solutions enable to valorize the wastewater through the production of biogas and compost. Compost obtained from the sludges is sold to the local farmers and the biogas technology allows converting wastewater into energy.

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Water recycle
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Circular economy in India: Rethinking growth for long term prosperity - A report by Ellen MacArthur Foundation
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